Medical patients, such as oncology patients, hemodialysis patients and hematology patients, may be subject to frequent fluid infusion treatments and/or fluid extraction treatments. Fluid infusion treatments may deliver medicaments (e.g. pharmaceutical products; therapeutic drugs), bodily fluid (e.g. blood), nutrients, contrasting agents, dialysis fluid and other liquid compositions to the body, while fluid extraction treatments may remove fluids such as dialysis fluid, bodily fluid (e.g. blood as part of phlebotomy) and other liquid compositions from the body. The fluid infusion treatment and fluid extraction treatment may be part of a fluid exchange treatment, such as dialysis.
Many fluid treatments involve the use of an indwelling catheter with transgresses out of the body. However, where the catheter exits the body, there may be an increased risk of infection. In order to reduce the likelihood of infection, certain medical application may be able to utilize a vascular access port implanted beneath the cutaneous tissue (skin) of the patient/body.
An implanted vascular access port may include an access point, such as a septum. The septum may be formed of a self-healing silicone material. External access to the implanted vascular access port may be accomplished by inserting the needle through the patient's skin and through the septum of the implanted port. However, a clinician needs to properly target the access port and, as a result, multiple needle sticks may be required to properly locate and access the access port, which may add discomfort to the patient. The access port is coupled to an indwelling catheter, which is inserted into a vein, such as a jugular vein, subclavian vein or superior vena cava.